IUI Outcomes Similar Regardless of Healthcare Provider Type

(HealthDay News) — For women undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI), outcomes are similar regardless of the type of health care provider performing the procedure, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Randi H. Goldman, MD, from the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center in Boston, and colleagues examined whether the success of IUI varies based on the health care provider performing the procedure. Data were collected for 1,575 women who underwent 3,475 IUI cycles from late 2003 through early 2012. Cycles were stratified according to the provider type: attending physician, fellow physician, or registered nurse.

The researchers found that among all cycles, the incidence of clinical pregnancy was 11.8%, and that of live birth was 8.8%. The incidence of live birth was similar for registered nurses vs. attending physicians (risk ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–1.1) and for fellow physicians vs. attending physicians (risk ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–1.2), after adjustment for female age, male partner age, and cycle type. The results were similar using an outcome of positive pregnancy test and clinical pregnancy.

"There was no significant difference in live birth following IUI cycles in which the procedure was performed by a fellow physician or registered nurse compared with an attending physician," the authors write.